Goosebumps: HorrorLand
Score: 81% ESRB: Everyone 10+ Publisher: Scholastic Developer: Gusto Games Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 - 2 Genre: Adventure
Graphics & Sound: I remember when Goosebumps first came out. Considering I was in high school at the time, they were a little bit below my reading level, but I still enjoyed them to no end. So did my sister, who was only 6 when they first came out. This should tell you that even though they were meant for kids, the Goosebumps series was enjoyed by kids of all ages and even adults. I was elated when I found out that Goosebumps: HorrorLand was coming out. I didn't care what kind of game it was; I wanted it no matter what, just because I enjoyed the original series that much. Graphically, HorrorLand is pretty much what I expected, and wanted, to see. The amusement park they are in is full of monsters, but they're not so scary that you die of fright just looking at them. There are people there too for you to talk to. Of course, everyone is under the assumption that the monsters are just humans in costume, but us Goosebumps fans know that that's not the case. They did a wonderful job of creating the park. Each area is just a little creepier than the next, and looks very different. I never got bored of the scenery. You do have to keep in mind that this game is meant for kids 10+. As such, it is not meant to be so scary that you can't play alone in the dark without continually looking over your shoulder like you would in Silent Hill or something. It is kid-friendly scary, not adult horror. The creepy background noises are perfect for the game. The music sounds like something you would hear in a classic horror movie. It is a simple but very creepy piano sound. Each park has their own background noises and commentary.
Gameplay: Goosebumps: HorrorLand is set in a haunted amusement park. At the very beginning of the game, your character and their friend both get tickets to go to HorrorLand. You try to throw yours away, but it just comes back to you. When your friend wants to go, you decide that you might as well go with him and check it out. It is free, after all. Once you enter the gate though, your ticket is torn up and scattered. Thinking nothing about it, you start wandering around the park looking for rides. Each ride will cost you a certain number of tokens. You are only given 20 to start the game, but if you run out, they are easy to find everywhere. Some games and rides give you tokens. You can also find them in the trash cans, shrubbery, light posts, and just about any other random place you can think of. There will be more tokens in those same places after you go on a ride and exit it. You don't even have to run over and pick up the tokens either. They will be automatically added to your inventory. If you score high enough on the ride/game, you will earn frights. You will need a certain number of frights to get to the next area, so you want to do as well as you can on each ride. There are some other things that you need to keep your eyes out for on your park adventure. There are 25 monster cards that you can collect. These can be gotten from various places like playing the games, talking to other people, or buying them in shops. You don't really need monster cards for anything, but they are fun to collect. You do need to find the pieces of your ticket, though. Without it, you will be stuck in the park forever! These pieces are well hidden in each area of the park, so search everywhere carefully!
Difficulty: The further you get into Goosebumps: HorrorLand, the more difficult it gets. In the first park, the games are pretty easy to beat. You don't have to get gold on every ride either. You only have to collect 10 frights to get to the next area. I would recommend collecting as many as you can while you're there though, just to avoid having to backtrack. The further you get, the more frights you need and the harder it is to earn them. Since each of the rides is a completely different mini-game, you're going to find that some of them are easier than others for you. Personally, I found the shooting games like Monster Mash to be the easiest, but then I usually do best on the shooting games. After you've unlocked the games in the Story Mode, you can choose to play them in Arcade Mode. If they weren't difficult enough for you in the story, you can challenge a friend to play against you. You can also play them alone in the Arcade Mode so that you can get the hang of them without spending all your tokens in the Story.
Game Mechanics: Most of Goosebumps: HorrorLand is very intuitive to play. You point the Wii-mote at the screen and use the D-pad to move around the park. The one thing that wasn't obvious is that you have to actually point the cursor at someone and then press (A) to talk to them. You can't just walk up to them and press (A). Each of the games has its own set of instructions. They will tell you how to play each of them if you select instructions before you start the game. Considering how many games there are, you might want to review these before each game. Otherwise, you could be doing the wrong thing on the wrong game. It seems like almost every game for the Wii is compromised of mini-games; Goosebumps: HorrorLand is no exception. While it is not the most entertaining set of mini-games that I've played, the Goosebumps theme is definitely entertaining, especially for people who already love the series.
-Cyn, GameVortex Communications AKA Sara Earl
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